


Keep Talking

by Scarlet_Curls



Series: Always There for You - A Collection of Renora Oneshots [9]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Injured Ren, Serious Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:02:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29285727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlet_Curls/pseuds/Scarlet_Curls
Summary: Ren has never been one for words, but Nora needs him to keep talking if he is to remain alive.
Relationships: Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie
Series: Always There for You - A Collection of Renora Oneshots [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2150589
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Keep Talking

"Hold on, Ren! Keep holding on."

The doors of the ambulance slammed behind them. Ren lay in his stretcher, blood swallowing the towel staunching the large gash in his stomach. Nora sat by his head, brushing bangs from half-lidded eyes and grasping his hand. His grip was almost non-existent.

"Don't let him lose consciousness," instructed the paramedic.

Nora nodded, not daring to rip her eyes away from him for a moment.

"How do you feel." He didn't answer. "C'mon, Ren. Tell me."

"It hurts." His voice was rusty, strained, and gurgling, like he was forcing out words with shredded vocal cords. "I want…" he trailed off.

"Want what?"

He coughed, spraying flecks of blood. "I want it to end."

Cold seized her heart. "Not now," she said. "Later." He didn't say anything. He stared blankly at nothing. "What will our next date be?"

"I don't- I don't know."

"Please! Anything you want. I'll organise everything. I don't care how outrageous or cheesy or dumb it is. I'll do it."

"I can't think."

"Do they slip away, the thoughts?"

He nodded, but she already knew that. She needed to ask him something he already knew, something rehearsed that he didn't need to think about. Something that reminds him what he lives for.

"Tell me about how you named Stormflower."

She recalled the memory when they received their completed weapons well. The warmth in her chest prevented her from ignoring her romantic feelings any longer, because he could never stop being the wonderful, amazing Lie Ren her heart demanded to love.

"Flower," he began, "to avenge the family I lost. Storm…" He trailed off again.

"No, no, this is my favourite part. Keep going!"

"…to protect the family I gained- with you."

"And you're going to stick around to protect your family for even longer, aren't you?"

No answer. Did he not hear her, or was he giving up? Either way, Nora couldn't stand the silence. "Are you going to leave me?"

His eyes drifted closed. "No! We made a promise. We're going to always be there for each other. We'll make it through everything." She peppered his hand with kisses. She tapped his cheek with her other hand, doing everything she could to keep him awake. "Are you going to break our promise, Ren?"

His eyes flickered open ever so slightly. Nora had never been more relieved to see that hint of magenta in her life. Even better was the one word he croaked out. "No."

"Why?"

"Because I love you."

"I love you too, Ren. I'll do anything to keep you here with me."

His eyes drooped closed again.

"Stop. You were doing so well. Open your eyes!"

"The- the light."

"Is it too bright?"

He nodded so subtly that anyone other than Nora would've missed it. She leaned over him, using her own head as a shade. The faintest of smiles crossed his lips. "I like you this close."

She allowed a giggle to escape through her tears. Even when dying, her Ren made her feel like the most beautiful person in all of Remnant.

"Almost there," the paramedic announced.

Nora responded with a smile and turned back to her best friend. "Listen to me, Ren, and show me that you're listening." He nodded.

"In a few minutes, I can't follow you. You are to stay awake until they put you under for surgery."

He nodded.

"You will likely be in a coma for a few days or a week."

He nodded again.

"It's your job to wake up, alive and well. When you do, I'll be right by your side."

He squeezed her hand. "I look forward to it."

"And for every day I am without you, you owe me a stack of pancakes, for making me feel so lonely."

"Deal."

She smiled for him like she never smiled for anyone else, with her eyes filled with every ounce of love she had for him. There was just one last thing she needed to say, in case this really was the last moment she would ever have with him. She tapped his nose. "Boop."

"Boop…"

The doors flew open and the paramedics pulled Ren's stretcher out. She scrambled out and jogged next to him, finding his hand again as they turned corner after corner. She gripped the metal rail and kept her eyes locked with his until his hand slipped from her grasp. The double doors flapped, and became still.

Nora's brave face crumbled as she fell to her knees. She cocooned herself in her arms and legs and cried harder than she had ever done in her life. The tears cascaded down as she wailed, not giving a single care about the other people in the hospital. She wondered if Ren heard. She wouldn't be surprised, given how often he listened to her.

He'll make it, she assured herself, He'll make it…

**Author's Note:**

> Time for another fun fact. I actually wrote an ending where you find out about Ren's fate, but cut it because I liked the ambiguity more. I did publish that part on Tumblr due to popular demand, but won't be linking it on my profile because I want to keep the ambiguity here as well. If you want to see that ending, you'll have to hunt for it.


End file.
